SBIR Phase I: Class Bucks Engagement and Gamified Learning System

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目的更广泛/商业影响是它将在课堂上产生积极影响，并最终对辍学者产生积极影响。辍学者面临暗淡的经济前景，更有可能犯罪和被监禁，健康状况不佳，并对社会造成经济损失。由于辍学是一个学生逐渐脱离课堂的过程，拟议项目将从最基本的层面解决辍学问题。在这个项目结束时，开发团队将有一个创新的，基于网络的游戏，将改变课堂动态，在任何学校，并给教师有意义的分析，使他们能够更好地满足学生的需求，让他们参与学习过程，并减少辍学的孩子数量。该创新平台有可能提高边缘化学习者的学习机会，并刺激积极的社会变革。该项目的智力价值在于定量测量和跟踪学生参与度，并对每个学生进行纵向分析，因此教师可以跟踪整个季度，学期或全年的参与度。 该解决方案将使教师能够为他们的课堂做出更明智的决定。该研究将侧重于将该工具的原始复合，费力，笔，纸和电子表格版本转换为基于网络的版本，该版本与教师课程相集成，同时适应不同的内容领域和多种教学风格。当学生与基于网络的游戏化课程交付平台互动时，他们可以赚取或失去虚拟美元，同时学习有价值的软技能，如责任感，批判性思维和工作道德，包括在线银行，投资，使用信贷和预算等金融知识技能。这个项目将利用游戏平台的质量来吸引学生的注意力，并激发他们投入时间和精力学习的动力。在这个过程中，游戏将收集有价值的学习指标，并为教师提供报告和分析，以便他们能够更多地了解学生。该项目的目标是开发最小可行产品并对其功效进行试验。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader/commercial impact of this Small Business innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is in the positive effect it will have in the classroom, and ultimately, on school dropouts. Dropouts face bleak economic futures, are more likely to commit a crime and be incarcerated, suffer poor health, and exact a financial toll on society. Since dropping out of school is a gradual process of a student becoming disengaged in the classroom, the proposed project will address school dropout at the most elemental level. At the end of this project, the development team will have an innovative, web-based game that will transform the classroom dynamic, in any school, and give teachers meaningful analytics so they can better meet their student’s needs, keep them engaged in the learning process, and reduce the number of kids dropping out of school. The innovative platform has the potential raise the learning opportunities for marginalized learners and stimulate positive societal change.The intellectual merit of this project is in the quantitative measurement and tracking of student engagement and production of a longitudinal analysis for each student, so teachers can track engagement throughout an entire quarter, semester, or year. The solution will empower instructors to make more well-informed decisions for their classrooms. The research will focus on converting the original composite, laborious, pen, paper, and spreadsheet version of the tool into a web-based version that integrates with teacher lessons while accommodating diverse content areas and a multitude of teaching styles. As students interact with the web-based, gamified lesson delivery platform, they can earn or lose virtual dollars while learning valuable soft skills such as such as responsibility, critical thinking, and work ethics, including financial literacy skills such as online banking, investing, using credit, and budgeting. This project will harness the game platform quality to capture students' attention and generate motivation to invest time and energy into learning. In the process, the game will collect valuable learning metrics and provide reports and analytics for teachers so they can learn more about their students. The goal of the proposed project is to develop the minimum viable product and test pilot its efficacy.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.